CyberSpace
by Gemini Star
Summary: Syaoran's intrigued by a mysterious girl called Kayla from the Internet, and returns to Japan just to meet her. Where does this leave Sakura? [sorry for the English names! I wrote this when I first got hooked on Cardcaptors]


CyperSpace  
  
Before you read the fic: I have to warn you that this contains the Nelevna names instead of the CLAMP ones. Please bear with it … I wrote this before I knew of CCS.  
  
Li Shoaran threw himself upon the bed and stared up at his bedroom ceiling blankly. He was bored to tears with life in Hong Kong, and even after being seven years from his Clow Card adventures, he still wasn't used to life without Sakura ... and Madison, he quickly amended.  
  
'Eighteen-year-olds have a lot to do,' Li reminded himself. 'Just that I'm a freak who DOESN'T have anything to do!'   
  
Most of his friends were dating girls, but Li hadn't asked a girl out, not since he came back to Hong Kong. His gaze traveled to his cream-coloured computer and he reached over, turning it on. It had been a long time since he'd last surfed the Internet ...   
  
Li logged on and, without really thinking, typed in Cherry Blossom in the search engine. A list of websites popped out, and one appealed to him - Cherry Blossoms Gardens. [Author's Note: This has no relation to the real Cherry Blossom Gardens on the Internet.]   
  
'Who would be as romantic as to name their website Cherry Blossoms Gardens?' Li pondered. The last time he met anyone as romantic as that was seven years ago ...  
  
He clicked on the link, and appeared on a beautifully-designed webpage, about the history of the Cherry Blossom - the Japan national flower. He came upon a MIDI file of a song honouring the flower, and opened the file. The website was fascinating, and kept Li riveted for at least half-an-hour. He read on, and then, he hit on a link that said 'Chat'. Maybe he could talk to the webmaster of that page ...   
  
As the applet loaded, he saw that about 20 people were in the Chat, talking about ... Stamford College? All of them were from Stamford?  
  
Is this a broken link? Li asked himself. Tentatively, he typed in his username: little_wolf  
  
(Okay, I'm going to tell it as if they were in the Chat.)  
  
little_wolf: Hi. Is this a broken link, or is everyone from Stamford College?   
  
sakura_flower: Yes, all of us are from Stamford. Welcome, little_wolf! I haven't seen you before in my Chat. And no, its not a broken link.  
  
little_wolf: This is my first time here. I like your web-site, sakura_flower. It's very nice.  
  
sakura_flower: Thanks! What's your e-mail address? I'll e-mail you tonight; I'm interested in knowing you furthur.  
  
Li paused. Should he tell her? She seemed so nice.   
  
Finally, he gave sakura_flower his e-mail address, and Li logged off, hearing the clatter of dishes that signaled it was dinnertime.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
The next morning, Li woke up early, and logged on, checking his e-mail. He saw a new one - titled: Hello!  
  
He skimmed through the e-mail, and was bitten by a gnawing sensation. It sounded so much like Sakura herself. Could it be ... ? Then he read the last line, and his heart sank like a stone in water.  
  
It was signed: Kayla  
  
He read through the e-mail once more, running a hand through his dark brown hair. He had to admit it: He still had a crush on Sakura, even after seven years.   
  
The e-mail read:  
  
Hello, little_wolf,  
  
I'm happy that we met in the Chat Room. I love dresses (I am not stuck-up however), and I live in an apartment in Japan. I have a really great best friend, she sometimes goes to the Chat Room. Maybe you'll meet her. My hobbies are swimming and basketball. I am the head cheerleader (I'm trying not to boast here ... LOL) of my school's cheerleading club, and I'm pretty good at twirling the baton - but sometimes I just seem to always drop it on my head.  
  
I am eighteen. What about you? Can you tell me your name ... and your hobbies?  
  
-Kayla  
  
Li sighed. Kayla was nice; she resembled Sakura in so many different ways that Li could've swore from her hobbies that she was Sakura ...  
  
But it wasn't the same.  
  
'Give it up, Li', he thought to himself miserably. 'Forget that Sakura ever existed.'   
  
Li began tapping on the keyboard. He paused, thinking uneasily of giving out too much private, personal information through the Internet, and decided a fake name. One of his friend's names popped out in his brain:   
  
Hey Kayla,  
  
My name is Terry. I live in Hong Kong. I know some people from Japan as I have schooled there before.   
  
I don't have any clubs that I'm in, however, I do like sports and I'm okay at them. I feel so bored sometimes, I really don't have anything to do. Why did you create the site? Is it because that you really like the Sakura flower?  
  
I have a good friend in Japan - well, sort of. We have not talked for a very long time. I tried to reach her but somehow I can't.  
  
I'm eighteen as well.  
  
-Terry  
  
After replying to Kayla's e-mail, Li flopped upon the bed once more. Suddenly, from under the mattress, something fell out and landed with a soft thud upon the carpeted floor. It looked like a photo frame.   
  
"What's that?" Li asked himself.  
  
Bending over, he picked it up, and turned it over. He wiped away a layer of dust, and felt a jolt somewhere in the region of his stomach.  
  
It was a picture of himself and Sakura Avalon. They were with all their friends, and the picture was taken after Sakura had caught the Erase Card. She looked so happy then, so carefree ...   
  
Tears pricked at Li's eyelids. Brushing at his chocolate-brown eyes impatiently, Li peered at the picture closer, drinking in Sakura's emerald- green eyes. He wondered if Sakura still remembered him, if she looked the same. Did she still have the same hairstyle, the same personality? It had been seven long years ... had she changed?  
  
Li was bursting with questions, but he kept his feelings under wraps. No way was his mother or his sisters barging in on him, crying.  
  
* * *   
  
   
  
*Two months later...*  
  
Hi Terry:   
  
I really want to meet you. Although you live in Hong Kong, I am so interested in making our friendship deeper. Please don't get the wrong idea, I just want us to be closer friends - nothing more. It's too bad we live in different countries ... I have a friend in Hong Kong, but we haven't kept in touch for seven years. Maybe you can close the gap ...   
  
Li sighed deeply. After knowing Kayla for two months, he knew how obstinate she could be. And Li wanted to see her as well. But how could he tell that to his mother? "Mother, I'm going to Japan so, goodbye!" Li scoffed at the idea.  
  
Then he perked up, remembering a course - more like a scholarship. If anyone's Maths was good enough, they could win a place at Stamford College, a very hard-to-get-in school - in Japan. All costs would be paid for by Li's school.  
  
Stamford College ... that rung a bell. Li remembered, like a bolt of lightning, that Kayla studied at Stamford! Perhaps they could meet.   
  
Li began typing out his reply.  
  
Hello, Kayla:  
  
I'm very pleased to tell you that I will be coming to Japan! For two years. If I manage to get this scholarship offered by my school, I will be admitted to Stamford College (it sounds like a very good school, by the way), for two years! Maybe we'll get to meet, or something like that.  
  
I, too, am excited to meet you. Hopefully, I'll be on the plane to Japan soon. Please give me your address. It's okay if you don't want to, we can meet somewhere at Stamford, if you want.   
  
Just curious ... do you have any boyfriends? Don't get the wrong idea! I just wanted to know.  
  
-Terry   
  
Li paused, his mouse hovering across the 'Send' icon. Should he cancel the last part? It sounded rather prying. 'Nah,' he decided. "It sounds normal - well, sort of.'  
  
And Li practically had the scholarship in his bag. He topped the class in Maths, year after year, for seven years straight.   
  
* * *  
  
Clutching his plane ticket tightly, Li sat down stiffly in an aeroplane seat. He was so nervous he could barely think straight. Opening the acceptance letter from Stamford College, he skimmed through the line once more, hoping he had read wrongly.   
  
'Stamford College is in Reedington Town, a small, quaint village ...'  
  
There was more, but Li barely noticed. Reedington. Where ... Sakura lived.   
  
Immediately, he wished he was back in Hong Kong, in England with Eriol, anywhere but the aeroplane to Japan. But he had no choice - he had accepted the scholarship, and he was expected to go to Japan for two years. Japan was huge, why the heck did he manage to end up in the same place as ... HER?  
  
Live in the same place where Sakura Avalon lives, for two years? He'd go crazy.   
  
Trying to take his mind off Sakura, he flipped open the laptop he brought along. Connecting a phone line into the laptop's port, and dialed up to the Internet. Entering the Cherry Blossom Garden's Chat Room once more, he noted that Kayla was online. He wasn't in the mood for chatting, and left quickly.  
  
He logged into his e-mail to find a new e-mail in his inbox. Opening it up, he realized it was from Kayla.   
  
Dear Terry:  
  
I don't believe it! You're coming to Japan at last. And you're going to study at Stamford as well! When you reach, it will be a Saturday. If you have time, do swing by and visit me. I live at ...   
  
She then proceeded to give Li her address. It was somewhat close to Li's old apartment, perhaps a few blocks away.   
  
He continued reading:  
  
I don't have a boyfriend. This place in my heart is reserved for a very special boy. I do hope that he remembers me.  
  
See you!  
  
Cheers,  
  
Kayla  
  
Li felt his heart flutter at the prospect of meeting Kayla, and he managed a cheery e-mail back to Kayla, promising her that he'd visit her as soon as he could.   
  
Trying to forget about Sakura, burying his feelings deep into himself he dozed off, into a light sleep.  
  
"Good afternoon, all passengers! We are currently taxiing into the runway of the Reedington Air Port! And look, such a beautiful rainbow in the sky, a rare sight!" the speaker screeched, the pilot's voice coming through with a bit of static.  
  
Li jolted awake. He was shocked at how the time flew. Slowly, he got up, and started to get off the plane. In a daze, he somehow managed to produce his passport to let the attendant check it, and finally he stood in front of the Air Port, blinking at the bright sunlight. Looking up, he admired the rainbow, and proceeded to walk along the road.  
  
Habit drew him towards the familiar path his old elementary school. He looked at the Sakura tree, and his mind filled with images of the one year he had spent here, in Japan. He shook his head ruefully, and continued on, thinking about the times he had spent there.   
  
Then, he reached the gateways of Stamford. It was a massive, sprawling school, with a huge field. Beautiful, blooming cherry blossom tress filled the area, and the sweet smell of them filled the air. He gazed up at the six-storey high school in wonder, and then turned, walking slowly in the direction of the apartment that his school had rented for him.  
  
Tossing his bag onto his bed, Li started off once more, this time in the direction of Kayla's apartment. Reaching her apartment door, he lifted his hand, and he knocked on the door.   
  
Someone so beautiful he could barely believe existed opened the door.  
  
Her emerald-green eyes were large and expressive. Her silky auburn hair hung in soft waves down her back, so long it touched her waist. Small locks of light-brown air framed her delicate face. She was slender, and her long, flowing white dress suited her perfectly, and showed off her curves. She was tall, willowy and graceful, and her face was a radiant pink in color. Her nose was fine, and she carried herself well. She somehow eluded carefreeness and beauty ... and somehow, Li sensed something else - some sort of aura, coming from her.  
  
"Hi - hi," Li stuttered at the gorgeous wonder. Somehow, she looked so familiar ... her emerald-green eyes, especially. "Are you Kayla?"  
  
She blinked at him, speechless for a moment. She gazed into his deep, chocolate-brown eyes, and a flash of recognition flashed across her disbelieving eyes. Then, she gave a sharp gasp. "LI SHOARAN?!" She leaned on the doorframe for support, hardly believing her eyes.  
  
Li nearly died of a heart attack on the spot. "Sakura?" he asked. Sakura mutely nodded at him ... then collapsed into his arms. "I was so afraid," she sobbed, tears running down her cheeks, clinging to Li as if he was a lifeboat and she was drowning in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. "That you'd never come back. Oh, I've waited seven years ..."   
  
Li stood awkwardly, supporting the ex-Clow Mistress. Although Sakura was tall, Li was about a head taller, and she fit neatly under his arm. He stroked her silky hair, and then guided her inside her home.  
  
Carefully, he set Sakura down on one of the couches. Sakura's eyes were red- rimmed, and Li kept a comforting arm around her shoulders.  
  
Li looked about the simply yet tastefully furnished home, admiring the unique Japanese Haikus on the wall, framed and well-written. As he skimmed through the haikus, he noticed some familiar names: Madison, Zachary, Rita, Nikki, Chelsea ... he was surprised at what good haikus they'd written. He noticed one wittily penned, beautifully written - the words washed about him like music. It was a Haiku about the Japanese flower, the cherry blossom. He looked to see the writer's name, and it glared out at him: Eriol. He felt a pang of jealousy, and swiftly read through the haiku once more.  
  
Delicate and pure  
  
Your sweet scent wafts through the air  
  
Pink and beautiful.  
  
Suddenly, Sakura's words burned in his mind: This place in my heart is reserved for a very special boy. I do hope that he remembers me ...   
  
Could the boy be Eriol?  
  
He smiled sadly. Then, he noticed one, whose frame was as nice as Madison's - Sakura's best friend, a very important person in the ex-Card Captor's life. Who would be so special to have such a delicate, pretty frame, even nicer than Eriol's?   
  
He read through the haiku, and he realized that there was a familiar ring to it:  
  
Mysterious  
  
And yet still intiguing  
  
Unlock these powers  
  
It was written by ... "Li Shoaran". Now he remembered. He'd written that one about the Clow Cards, and their special powers. He blushed slightly. Sakura still cared enough for him and their friendship to leave the Haiku on the wall, even after he'd been out of her life for such a long period of time. Li turned to Sakura.  
  
"Why did you call yourself Kayla?" he asked gently.   
  
"My middle name is Kayla." Sakura, after wiping her eyes with a handkerchief Li had produced.  
  
"So, your full name is Sakura Kayla Avalon," Li stated. Sakura managed a watery smile and a small nod.   
  
"How is Kero?"   
  
"He ... went back to guard the Clow Book, to make sure the Cards do not escape once more." Sakura told the sorcerer.   
  
"Okay. You must be pretty lonely, then." Li said. "What about your father and your brother?"  
  
"Dad's working overseas. His new job brings him all around the world. Tori and this girl, Vikki, got married, and they live close by," Sakura explained.   
  
"One more question: How did you know it was me?" Li took back his handkerchief and stuffed it into his pocket.  
  
Sakura kept silent. Then, lowering her long lashes, she said, softly. "You were constantly on my mind, Li. Seven years ... yet I remember you as if you were here yesterday. One look into your eyes, and I can tell."  
  
Li said nothing, but gave Sakura a warm smile. Then, he grasped her hand tentatively, and when Sakura tightened her grip, Li tightened his, intertwining his fingers with Sakura Avalon's.  
  
Li leaned forward, and Sakura smiled softly; radiantly. She closed her large eyes, and Li closed his. Then their lips met - for the first time.   
  
That was the start of a whole new relationship.  
  
Li regretted losing his friendship - he knew that things would never be the same. Their friendship was gone, and yet, something deeper, something more wondrous had appeared to replace the empty void the loss of friendship left. He wasn't too sure about this feeling, he had not thoroughly explored it yet, but he was sure that he would. He would understand these feelings and the results pretty soon, he decided dreamily.   
  
It, he knew, was the feeling of love.  
  
-End-  
  
Author's Notes  
  
  
  
Awww! What a mushy ending!  
  
Okay, if you're reading this, then I must assume that you've waded through the fic. Thank you SO much for doing that. I really appreciate it. In fact, I'll appreciate it even more if you'll review the fic. //hint, hint//  
  
[This the first ever CCS fic I ever wrote. The fic has gone up some web- sites, too, but I've edited the spelling mistakes and some grammatical errors, toning down some flowery passages. Other than that, CyberSpace still retains the original Author's Notes and words.] 


End file.
